by Kimberly Sowell
2/27/11
“An act of worship.” I held my daughter to my heart as she embraced me tightly during our tearful goodbye. I was leaving for Japan, and this was the first time my daughter had ever cried during our farewell before a mission trip. She and I had been praying for months about this trip, interceding for missionaries, the lost of Japan, and the mission team I was leading. She was excited about the people who would hear about Jesus for the very first time. Nonetheless, when it came time for this little girl’s mom to get on a plane, the tears flowed as she felt the anticipation of our time apart. I searched for words of comfort, but instead came words of challenge for her spiritual growth.
“I’ll miss you, too, Julia. Every time we miss one another, we need to pray for each other and choose to be joyful as an act of worship.” Act of worship. I would cling to those words for seven days. Lord, redeem these days in her life and mine. Do a great work, Father, and teach my family to embrace sacrifice as we surrender to Your lordship.
3/7/11
She was watching for me. When the tires hit the beginning of that long, winding driveway, my daughter went flying into the house to make her announcement. I could almost hear her with my heart: “Momma’s home! Momma’s home!” I just barely got my car door open before the hugs commenced. “Mommy, I missed you! I’m so glad you’re home!” were the first words out of her mouth, but the next set of words confirmed that God had been faithful: “Mommy, did you tell a lot of people about Jesus? Did any Japanese get saved?”
3/11/11
My husband woke me with news that a massive earthquake had hit Japan, followed by a destructive tsunami. Every news report, every photograph of the devastation seemed surreal. My mind raced, trying to remember every person I had met in Japan, trying to pray for each one. Oh, God, what is happening this morning with the Japanese man on the plane who politely refused my offer of a Bible? Then my thoughts quickly shifted to home and what I would say to Julia, this little girl I had been training to love Japan.
Act of worship. Obedience. Sacrifice. Urgency. These are words God wanted my eight-year-old—and me—to understand.
“Julia, we’ve got more things to pray about for Japan today.” I broke the news to my daughter, trying to be sensitive to her young heart.
“Julia, do you remember how you and I have prayed and prayed together for Japan? Remember how we didn’t give in to our own desires to be together, but we agreed to be apart for a week so Mommy could tell the people about Jesus?” (Then a dramatic pause as every puzzle piece locked together in Julia’s mind.) “I’m so glad we trusted God. It was our act of worship.”
Kimberly Sowell is founder and president of Kingdom Heart Ministries, dedicated to inspiring women to make their relationship with Jesus Christ the center of who they are and how they live each moment—growing in Christ and sharing their faith with the world. She and her husband, Kevin, along with their children, make their home in Lancaster, South Carolina. Contact Kimberly at ksowell@comporium.net or http://www.kimberlysowell.com/.
